Freeman W. Butts systematically titled his figurative works on canvas with a notation of three numbers indicating various combinations of the number of figures in the composition, the number of artworks produced that year with that number of figures, and the year. This was to protect the identity of the models who often were part of the community and not interested in disclosing this level of participation in the arts.

The results of working with live models shows his authority in combining fluidity of line with abstraction. Freeman and his wife Daisy would often feed his models dinner and often were good friends building a deep level of trust and friendship.